Response #1: Vegetarian is the New Prius

“Vegetarian is the New Prius” by Kathy Freston, is an article about the amount of contribution livestock actually plays in the most serious environmental problem, at every scale from local to global. This article states that the amount of livestock raised on our land is the primary cause of land degradation, air pollution, water shortage, [...]

Response # 5: Food Industry, or Food Mafia?

Occasionally we come across and movie, book, or experience that rocks us to our core. The documentary Food Inc. not only has to power to do just that, but also has to potential to turn the most dedicated meat-eater into a vegetarian. Has our food industry grown out of control? If the accusations in the [...]

Response # 4: Earth911.com

The website, Earth911.com, reaches beyond teaching its visitors how to recycle. At the top of the website is a recycling center locator. This is not just a listing of places that recycle items, it’s has a search section that allows visitors to look up exactly what they want to recycle. Additionally, the locator has a [...]

Response #2: “Electric Bugaboo”

“Electric Bugaboo” by Tim Dickinson presents the fight over renewable energy development, and attempts to convince the reader that large-scale renewable energy projects are not something that we should be resisting. Although both sides have good points, I personally agree with the author because the corporations involved are environmentally conscious, are willing to work with [...]

Response #1: “Big Ideas for a Small Planet”

Although the Sundance Channel’s series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet” aims to educate the public on environmental efforts, they are not as effective as they could be, because they don’t cover a broad enough scope, and they spent very little time on potential problems. This is a neat little series on the Sundance Channel [...]

Response #3: Which came First, Chickens or Automobiles?

According to Kathy Freston the author of the article “Vegetarian is the New Prius,” chickens, or livestock in general, produce a far greater impact on the environment than automobiles. Freston stated that this information comes from a United Nations report on livestock, and suggests that livestock is a leading cause for many environmental problems including [...]

Response #1: Gaviotopia

The community described in Alan Weisman’s article Nothing Wasted, Everything Gained is a picture of a place I did not think could exist.  Gaviotas, Colombia is a self sustaining modern community.  Children’s see-saws pull water up from aquifers, power from windmills heats drinking water which is sterilized in solar stills, and a Honduran Pine forest supports [...]

Response # 2: Less Costs More, Especially When it comes to Nutrition

Initially, low-cost foods appear to cost less, but with the current practices of the food industries, our environment and the living creatures on it are paying a hefty price. In industrialized nations the bottom line tends to focus more on the dollar than anything else. It was evident during the initial years of development with [...]

Response #1: Look before we Leap into Renewable Energy

Going green has gained the support of many people to help combat the effects of climate change. One would think that every environmentalist would be on board. However, some of the projects are getting too big, causing some environmentalists to resist. They feel that development is harmful, and thus unacceptable regardless of its color label. [...]